Two nights before my wedding
"Say it again."
Christian's voice was low against my ear, warm and teasing, sending a shiver down my spine.
I laughed softly, trying to push him away, but his arms tightened around my waist from behind, pulling me closer against his chest.
The night air on the balcony was cool, but the heat of his body made my skin burn.
"You already heard me," I whispered.
"I want to hear it again," he murmured, his lips brushing the side of my neck.
My heart raced the way it always did when he touched me like that. Even after two years together, Christian Moretti still had the power to make my entire world spin.
"I love you," I said softly.
His arms tightened instantly.
For a moment he didn't speak. Then he turned me around slowly until I was facing him.
The lights from the Moretti mansion glowed behind him, outlining his tall figure in gold. Christian was the kind of man people feared the moment he walked into a room. Powerful. Untouchable. Dangerous.
But the way he looked at me right now…
It was nothing like the ruthless mafia heir the world knew.
His dark eyes softened as they searched my face.
"You have no idea what you do to me, Lisa," he said quietly.
My cheeks warmed under his intense gaze. "I probably do."
He smirked slightly.
Then his hand moved to my chin, tilting my face upward.
"You're wrong," he said. "Because if you did… you'd know that walking away from you would be the only thing capable of destroying me."
My breath caught.
"Christian—"
He cut me off with a kiss.
Not gentle. Not slow.
Possessive.
His hand slid around my waist, pulling me flush against him as his lips claimed mine with a hunger that made my knees weak. I gasped softly when he deepened the kiss, his fingers threading into my hair.
When he finally pulled away, both of us were breathing harder.
"You're mine," he said quietly, pressing his forehead against mine.
My heart pounded wildly.
"And soon," he continued, sliding the diamond ring onto my finger, "the whole world will know it."
"Christian…"
"No one will ever take you away from me," he promised.
That night… I believed him..
---
The night before the big day
The sound of the door bursting open ripped that world apart.
Three men in black suits stormed in like shadows, faces hard, hands steady, one holding a gun casually.
"Lisa Romano?" the tallest growled.
"Yes," I whispered, frozen.
A heavy black suitcase slammed onto the table, rattling loudly.
"If you love your life and desire to see the next day," the man said, voice low and dangerous, "I advise you to leave town tonight. Take this." He tapped the suitcase with his gun. "Consider it a token of good behavior. Nothing personal, love."
"I… I don't understand," I stammered.
"Don't ask stupid questions," he snapped, stepping closer. "Just leave. Tonight. Or you die."
"No," I said immediately, heart pounding.
My mother lunged in front of me, hands clenched. "My daughter isn't going anywhere!" she shouted.
The man chuckled cruelly. "You really think someone like him would marry her?"
He raised the gun. "Last warning."
Everything happened too fast.
The gunshot exploded.
"Mama!" I screamed, rushing to her side. Blood spread across the floor. Her hand—the same one that braided my hair every morning—slipped from mine.
"Please… stay with me…" I begged, pressing my hands to hers. But her eyes were already dimming.
The man crouched beside me, voice cold. "Take the money and leave tonight. Or join her."
I froze, chest heaving. My hands trembled, stained red with her blood.
Then, the cruelest horror of all: the man pulled out his phone.
"You deserve to hear the truth," he said.
Christian's voice filled the room.
"She's just a maid," the recording said, cold and emotionless.
I dropped my head, trying to block it out, but I couldn't.
"I'll marry her because it's convenient," Christian continued. "But let's be honest—she was never on my level. I just wanted to sleep with her."
My hands shook. My mother's blood soaked into my fingers. My world shattered.
"No…" I whispered. "He wouldn't say that…"
"Oh, he would," the man said, voice eerily calm. "Men like Christian Moretti don't marry girls like you. You were just entertainment."
My chest ached. I glanced at the diamond ring on my finger—the promise of a life that would never exist. Slowly, I removed it and let it fall to the floor.
"Fine," I whispered, my voice broken. "I'll leave."
The men started walking toward the door. I wanted to ask who they were. "Please… spare me. Who are you?"
They stopped for a moment and laughed, cruel and hollow.
"We're just messages from your beloved," the tallest said. "Nothing personal, love."
They laughed again, long and cold, then disappeared into the night, leaving the door wide open.
I stayed on the floor beside my mother's body, tears falling silently. My home. My mother. My love. Everything I had known was gone.
And yet, somewhere deep inside, a fire ignited. A fire that would burn Christian's world down.
Christian Moretti had destroyed my life.
And one day… I would destroy his.